1915-05-21ww

“Empire Day, the movement founded by Mrs. Clementina Fessenden, of this city, and which has since become national in its scope, was celebrated in the schools of Hamilton today with a spirit that was inspiring.”

Hamilton Spectator.  May 21, 1915.

All across Canada in May 1915, Empire Day was celebrated, and it was also observed in England.

The history behind the creation of that special day was noted in the Spectator of May 21, 1915:

“Empire day really had its inception on June 8, 1896, before the Wentworth Historical society, when Mrs. Fessenden’s little six-year-old granddaughter was made an honorary member of the society in recognition of the loyal services of her ancestors as an earnest of the future. It was a notable experience for the child. When Mrs. Fessenden saw the delight her little granddaughter took in her badge and Maple Leaf, she could not see any reason why all the children of the empire should not be stimulated in the same way.

“In 1897, the Hamilton Board of Education endorsed the scheme, the minister of education expressed his approval and then the movement continued to grow with rapidity, London taking up the idea in 1902. Ever since, Empire day has been celebrated in the motherland with the same enthusiasm that marks its observance here”¹

¹ “Empire Day Observed With Fervent Spirit ; Canada’s Glorious Part in Crisis Adds Thrill”

Hamilton Spectator.   May 21, 1915.

Since it began, the arrival of Empire Day brought forth a burst of patriotism, but in 1915, the spirit was magnified as the day was observed in Hamilton schools given the warfare taking place:

“The exercises breathed the spirit of patriotism that has sent Britain’s sons by the hundred thousand from every corner of the earth rallying to the colors in this, the empire’s hour of need.

“God Save the King and Rule Britannia rang out from the throats of little children today with genuine fervor. O, Canada, The Maple Leaf and Men of the North had a thrill, such as was never felt before.

“The story of Langemarck with its casualty list of Canadian dead and wounded is fresh in every mind. It was only this week that Premier Asquith in the British house of commons declared : ‘The Canadians have won themselves in France an everlasting name.’

“In many of the schools, there were children whose loved ones died or suffered on the bloody fields of Belgium, to write that glorious page of history for Canada.

“Today the significance of Empire day was appreciated”¹

In all the schools of Hamilton, the was a large attendance of the students’ parents, other relatives and friends who came to witness the Empire day exercises. Each school had either a school trustee or a prominent clergyman in attendance to deliver an address.

Mrs. Fessenden was unable, due to health reasons, to attend any Empire day observances as had been her custom. Although not physically present, Mrs. Fessenden was still part of each school’s ceremony as she sent a letter containing her congratulations to each and every student taking part in the observance, noting that the movement had grown so much that an estimated 80,000,000 were celebrating the day. Mrs. Fessenden also pointed out that for Empire day, 1915 in London, England, the flags of each member country in the British Empire, 64 in all, would be carried in procession into St. Paul’s Cathedral by school children.

Finally, it was a pleasing feature of Empire Day observances in Hamilton that children would be called upon to read aloud the patriotic compositions that they had been asked to write.